Woodward: Manchester United can afford to break world transfer record

The Red Devils' executive vice-chairman believes they have the financial clout to smash Gareth Bale's €100 million transfer and says they remain the biggest club in the world

Ed Woodward says Manchester United can afford to break the world transfer record of €100 million as the club seek to bolster their squad ahead of the 2014-15 season.

The Red Devils, now under the management of Dutch boss Louis van Gaal, have already spent over €70m on left-back Luke Shaw and midfielder Ander Herrera this summer.

Executive vice-chairman Woodward says they are willing to spend big money in order to recruit further marquee signings - and could perhaps eclipse the fee Real Madrid paid for Gareth Bale last summer - with the club currently preparing a €54m bid for Juventus star Arturo Vidal.

"It's difficult to deal in hypotheticals based on lots of different things," Woodward is quoted as saying byThe Guardian. "The reality is that we're not afraid of spending significant amounts of money in the transfer market.

"Whether it's a record or not doesn't really resonate with us. What resonates is an elite player that the manager wants who is going to be a star for Manchester United."

In addition to the acquisitions of Shaw and Herrera, United paid a club-record £37.5m (€45m) to sign Juan Mata from Chelsea in January and Woodward insists the club are capable of eclipsing that figure again this summer.

"Of course it's in our capabilities," he said. "You guys think about the money in a way that I don't. I get pointed in the direction of a target that the manager wants and there is an assessment of what that might cost and I'll negotiate hard to do the best I can on the trade.

"I stand by what I said – there is no budget. We are in a very strong financial position. We can make big signings. That doesn't mean we go and throw money around. Louis is the manager."

Woodward says the club are actively scouting a number of players in the transfer market, though Van Gaal will have the final say on signings, while he is confident Old Trafford remains an appealing destination.

"We have had a lot of scouting output through the last 12 months, flagging up various things to us," Woodward added. "Louis is the one that makes the ultimate decision around who he wants in the squad. I'm not going to force feed him with a player that he hasn't selected.

"We're still looking at options. We're not sitting on our hands waiting for Louis. He is very good at communicating clearly what he wants.

"What the deal shows and what we're seeing with everything we're doing from a commercial perspective, talking to agents, talking from a player's perspective about wanting to come to us, we are the biggest club in the world, there's no question about that."

Missiles that shot down two fighter jets fired from Russia: Kiev

KIEV: The missiles that took down two Ukrainian fighter jets in the volatile east of the former Soviet state were fired from Russia, Ukraine’s National and Security Council said Wednesday.

“According to preliminary information, the rockets were launched from Russian territory,” the council said in a statement, adding that the Su-25 jets were flying at an altitude of 5,200 metres.

Pro-Russian rebels shot down two Ukrainian fighter jets, not far from where a Malaysian airliner was brought down last week in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 passengers on board.

A spokesperson for Ukraine’s military operations said the planes were downed near Savur Mogila, a burial mound in the Shaktersky region where a memorial marks ambushes by the Soviet army on occupying Nazis during World War Two.

He said he did not have any information about the pilots. Igor Strelkov, who is now in charge of the rebel ranks in the eastern city of Donetsk, said the separatists had brought down one plane and that the pilot had ejected. He gave no further details.

However, a second military spokesman told AFP that the jets had been downed at a different location by rockets fired by insurgents. The two pilots managed to parachute out, he said.

“Today in the south of the Lugansk region close to the village of Dmytrivka, pro-Russian fighters shot two Su-25 jets from a missile system,” spokesperson Vladislav Seleznev said.

“The pilots took evasive action … but the planes were hit,” he said.

Fierce fighting raged near the rebels’ two main centres in Donetsk and nearby Luhansk, where they have been pushed back by Ukrainian government forces, who have taken control of villages and suburbs around the cities.

A spokesperson for the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic told AFP its fighters had shot down the two aircrafts.

An AFP crew trying to reach the scene were turned back by rebels who fired shots near their car some 10 kilometres from Dmytrivka.

The downing of the government jets comes just six days after the insurgents were accused of shooting down the Malaysian passenger plane using a surface-to-air missile, killing all 298 people on board.

Pro-Russian rebels battling government troops in the east had previously taken out a string of Ukrainian military aircraft during their 15-week insurgency.

The rebels have denied that they downed flight MH17, accusing the Ukrainian military of being responsible for hitting the jet.

The latest incident came after a ceasefire was declared by both sides in the immediate vicinity of the Boeing 777 crash site, where Malaysian experts and international monitors were examining the airliner’s wreckage on Wednesday.

Earlier, the first 40 bodies recovered from MH17 were flown out of the government-held city of Kharkiv bound for Eindhoven in the Netherlands

TransAsia Airways plane crashes in typhoon-hit Taiwan, killing 47

TAIPEI: A TransAsia Airways turboprop plane crashed on its second attempt at landing during a thunderstorm on an island off Taiwan on Wednesday, killing 47 people and setting buildings on fire, officials said.

The plane, a 70-seat ATR 72, crashed near the runway on the island of Penghu, west of the mainland, with 54 passengers and four crew on board, they said.

No one was killed or hurt in the buildings.

Eleven injured people on the plane were taken to hospital, the government said.

The aircraft took off from Taiwan’s southern city of Kaohsiung, headed for the island of Makong, but crash-landed in Huxi township of Penghu County, the main island of the chain also known as the Pescadores.

“It was thunderstorm conditions during the crash,” said His Wen-guang, a spokesperson for the Penghu County Government Fire Bureau.

“From the crash site we sent 11 people to hospital with injuries. A few empty apartment buildings adjacent to the runway caught fire, but no one was inside at the time and the fire was extinguished.”

About 100 firefighters were sent to the scene, as well as 152 military personnel and 255 police, he added.

According to an official at the Civil Aeronautics Administration, air traffic control reported that the inclement weather at the time of the crash did not exceed international regulations for landing.

Visibility was 1,600 meters and the cloud cover was as low as 600 meters, added the official, who declined to be identified.

Television networks aired footage of TransAsia’s president, Chooi Yee-choong, bowing in apology.

“We express our deepest apologies to everyone for this unfortunate event.”

Typhoon Matmo hit Taiwan on Wednesday, bringing heavy rain and strong winds, shutting financial markets and schools.

It passed the island and headed into China, downgraded from typhoon to tropical storm.

TransAsia Airways is a Taiwan-based airline with a fleet of around 23 Airbus and ATR aircraft, operating chiefly short-haul flights on domestic routes as well as to mainland China, Japan, Thailand and Cambodia, among its Asian destinations.

When the bombshells took charge

As 2014 marks hundred years since the outbreak of World War I (WWI), the world takes a retrospective glance at what it leaves behind other than a tainted history through exhibitions and commemorative events. What came to be known as The Great War, became a harrowing tipping point in the realm of warfare, but also, inadvertently, made a major impact on the world of fashion. Interesting? We think so too.

From Britain to New Zealand, exhibits are showcasing how the war influenced women’s clothing, from raising hemlines to new utility wear worn ladies at home, reported the Daily Beast. Paving the way for androgyny, the war even led women to turn to their husbands’ closets to dress themselves for their new jobs on the home front.

“As the men left for war, women took on what were previously male-dominated roles such as farm or factory work,” said Doris de Pont, curator of ‘The Way We Wore — In Service and On The Street’, an exhibition that opened at the online New Zealand Fashion Museum on Tuesday. “The physicality of the work meant that traditional women’s attire wasn’t appropriate. Women raided men’s wardrobes and altered shirts and trousers to fit.”

Hemlines rose during wartime and fell again when the war neared its end. PHOTOS: FILE

The Bath Fashion Museum is presently displaying nearly two-dozen wartime costumes, which include a dozen looks from Downton Abbey, a television series set in WWI. The exhibition comprises uniforms and civilian dresses along with propaganda items, which show how in the wake of the war, women opted for wearing trousers. “WWI changed women’s fashion; corsetry was softened and clothing became more practical,” said Yvonne Hellin-Hobbs, the exhibition’s organiser.

The New Zealand exhibition displays photographs, which show “how real people dressed and interacted at the time, and the impact of the war on our sartorial style,” according to De Pont. The impact of WWI and World War II is evident both in the practical construction of garments and the creative use of limited materials available.

Bearing in mind the prevalent rationing in those days, De Pont was interested in viewing “how restrictions in materials manifested themselves in creative and thrifty ideas for civilian dress as well as uniforms.” Hemlines rose during wartime and fell again when the war neared its end.

Pre-war New Zealand was thriving and latest fashions from London and Paris were all the rage among women. But after being hit hard by the war, New Zealanders faced losses of epic proportions and they were reflective in fashion. “Ostentatious dress was considered inappropriate even where people had the means. Sober and muted colours including shades of grey, one described in a local paper as ‘Battleship’, were prevalent. Jewellery and other showy decorative elements were put aside,” De Pont explained.

But the war also helped in modernising women’s dress. “Women gained a great deal of freedom during wartime. Many young women were reluctant to pull back from an active life outside the home and demure to the constraints of domesticity and corseted fashions,” added De Pont.

In the immediate post-war period, the unstructured gamine look surfaced, promoting freedom and action. Vibrant hues were used in textile and beading and embroidery. The world became fashionable again. Paris was no longer the only fashion haven. Owing to communication issues with France during the war, New York rose to become the hub of fashion with its practical and feminine approach to apparel.

The war left an indelible mark on designer preferences, with some collections of today still translating its fashion on the runway. New York-based designer Thom Browne’s menswear collection held in June in Paris showcased what seemed to be rows of WWI soldiers in grey uniforms, sitting with plasters over their eyes. His latest designs were displayed amid this backdrop in what was a rare runway reference to a 100-year-old WWI.

Plane of Pakistani father-son duo flying around the world crashes into the Pacific

The plane of father-son duo attempting to fly around the world in 30 days, crashed into the Pacific near the American Samoa Islands, Express News reported.

The father-son duo of Babar Suleman and Haris Suleman were flying from American Samoa Island to Hawaii when their plane crashed shortly after taking off from Pago Pago International Airport in the the American Samoa Islands.

Hiba Suleman, Haris’s, confirmed on her Facebook account that the body of her brother had been recovered, while rescue teams are still searching for her father.

Haris’s uncle Air Vice Marshal Abid Rao confirmed to The Express Tribune that the plane which was a single engine aircraft, crashed near Pago Pago Island when the father son duo had left it for Hawaii. ‘We are very sad. It was the last leg of their trip, a journey of 13-14 hours. But their plane crashed within two minutes after they took off.’ He said that the incident took place between 6 to 6:30 pm PST.

According to him, Haris’s body has been recovered while Babar and the plane wreckage has yet to be found.

Last known location of the plane. PHOTO: dev.trootrax.com

Mian Washim, A Pakistani-American businessman and close family friend of Suleman family told The Express Tribune: ” There is no indication as to why the crash happened except that the crash site was about one mile from the end of the runway and out to sea.”

“It is very unlikely they had reached an altitude that enabled them to contact the Air Traffic Control in Samoa,” said Washim.

“The area [where plane crashed] is in the New Zealand SAR region and it was New Zealand SAR that received a distress signal from the aircraft. The timing of the signal (possibly a satellite ping) put it very close to the crash site when transmitted.

“Haris’s body was found soon after the arrival of the rescue boat sent from the island’s Fire and Crash service. There was an active locator beacon working but no information as to whether it was attached to Haris’s life jacket or not.

There is no information as to the condition or status of the aircraft.”

Since a large portion of their trip was to take place over water, their plane had been stocked with relief equipment life rafts, and “gumby” suits for ocean survival in the event of an ocean landing.

Gumby suits are only worn by the pilots while flying over water for extended periods of time.

This, however, seems to not have provided them protection from a crash.

Seventeen year old Haris was the youngest Pilot in Command to attempt circumnavigating the world in a single engine plane.

The trip which started on June 19 in Indiana, US, was aimed at education for underprivileged children and raising funds for The Citizens Foundation. The trip stretched over five continents, a journey across three oceans, and landings in 15 countries – Suleman touched down in Reykjavik, Crete, Aswan (Egypt), Nagpur (India), Bali, Nadi (Fiji), Pago Pago (American Samoa). Kiribati (Christmas Island), and Kona (Hawaii) were amongst the cities he would have landed in.

His Pakistan leg of the journey included stops in Lahore, Sargodha and Islamabad

Avoiding competition: Qatar uninterested in LNG supply tender

ISLAMABAD: Qatar has turned down an offer to participate in Pakistan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply tender, saying it is interested in clinching a direct government-to-government deal to meet needs of the energy-starved South Asian nation.

“The government suggested that Qatar Gas should take part in a tender floated by Pakistan State Oil (PSO) for LNG import but Doha refused and showed interest in striking a state-to-state deal without getting involved in any tender,” an official aware of the developments said.

The last date for submitting bids under the PSO tender was June 30, which was extended to July 15 on the demand of participating companies, which required some time to prepare bid documents.

According to officials, the tender has got an encouraging response from interested players, in sharp contrast to bids sought by the previous government, when only two domestic companies filed documents because of cancellation of tenders several times earlier.

In the current PSO tender, big energy giants have expressed interest and submitted bids including Royal Dutch Shell, British Petroleum and Mitsubishi. Officials term this a good omen for Pakistan’s energy needs as these companies have LNG supplies available with them.

The last tender floated by the previous government was struck down by the Supreme Court as only two domestic companies took part in the process.

According to officials, Pakistan is seeking to set a benchmark LNG price through bidding, following which it will try to weigh different options for a direct government-to-government deal. For the time being, talks for finalising an agreement with Qatar have stalled until the time bids are accepted.

The government is working on three proposals for LNG import. These include securing supplies through bids, a contract on a government-to-government basis with countries like Qatar and imports on the basis of spot purchases.

At present, all attention is focused on the bidding process as the government has drawn criticism from inside the country on reports that it will agree on LNG import from Qatar at a higher price.

Through the tender, the government will be able to fix a benchmark price for negotiating a deal with Qatar and other countries.

Meanwhile, officials said, a meeting was held at the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources to review the progress on setting up an LNG terminal by the successful bidder Elengy Terminal Pakistan Limited (ETPL).

ETPL has hired China Harbour Engineering Company as its engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor.

In the meeting, an ETPL representative said they would start dredging the water channel very soon. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is likely to conduct the groundbreaking of the terminal in the first week of next month.

First LNG shipment is expected to arrive in the first quarter of next year. The country plans to import 200 mmcfd in the initial phase, which will be increased to 400 mmcfd later.

Gearing up: Promoting trade through border-crossing points

ISLAMABAD: As one of the top priorities, Pakistan has increased its focus on expanding regional trade, besides developing and strengthening economic relations with neighbouring and regional countries.

A senior official of the Finance Ministry told the media on Tuesday that the policies and strategies devised to achieve this objective included improving border crossing point infrastructure, equipment and procedures to reduce cargo dwell time, reduce cost of doing business and facilitate movement of people in a secure manner.

“Improving border crossing points are part of the strategy to develop more efficient transport corridors for robust economic activity,” he added.

However, he said that the current border crossing points were not fit enough because they could no longer process the current volumes of export, import and transit cargo and pedestrians.

“More than 1,300 trucks cross the Torkham border alone on a daily basis,” he said. The official said the cargo dwell times were long and commercial trucks and pedestrians suffered due to long queues that wasted time often in challenging climatic environments.

Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, he said, was the busiest airport of the country as it handled around 20,000 passengers daily.

“A lot of people use Torkham border in peak hours daily. Ensuring security of the people and goods moving across the borders has become a challenging task,” he remarked.

The official said exploring the export markets of Central Asia, realising the dream of Pakistan becoming a regional transit hub, and exploiting the shortest sea routes for the land-locked countries were hampered by the dearth of suitable facilities at the borders.

Some estimates suggested that more than 70% of the travel time for moving cargo in the region was spent at the border crossing points, he observed.